vvvvv e ge ge ge ge g eeeee ttttt a ra ra ra ra r i a n n u g gi a n n u g gi a n n u g gi a n n u g gi a n n u g g eeeee t st st st st seasy-to-digest

lessonsverses

captured momentsin everyday life

from the eloquence of the heartcomes a hodgepodge of thoughtsand now, a tapestry of words

3

for restless souls like mine --

4

If only blackouts can be scheduled on a full moon so that wewill have a good reason and perfect timing to contemplate.No television, no loud music. Only peace in silence.

I’m alone here but it felt like I have all creations around me.The moonbeam must have radiated a gravitational pull fromthe rest of humanity.

Strange but I’ll feel sad when the power goes on again andeverything is back to normal.

With so many thoughts clashing in my brain, how can I bequiet? In the confines of my house I have mastered the art ofsoliloquy.

Too many ideas yet too little time to weave words into aperfect symmetry.

65

ExExExExExcerpts frcerpts frcerpts frcerpts frcerpts from a letter to a friendom a letter to a friendom a letter to a friendom a letter to a friendom a letter to a friend

Somehow the fullmoon cycles never miss to awaken thelunatic side of me. Bear with me, for it only happens onceevery 28 and a small fraction of days.

I was answering your email at an Internet café when suddenlythe neighborhood went black. So the entire city had noelectricity for hours, except for a few establishments andmansions that can afford a power generator. On my wayhome I made several miscalculated moves while on themotorbike, the worst was when I bumped into a vehicle onthe crossroads. Blame it on my reflexes. Or the near perfectfullmoon. Sensibility dictates that I have to glance at themoonlight once in a while. At each glance comes out athought. So sad my memory bank could only hold enough ofthese multiplying thoughts. I have to retrieve this.

Back at the balcony of my house and two lighted-candles,thoughts are a hodgepodge tale woven in the light ofdarkness.

I wonder how much voltage does the moon have that it couldilluminate restless souls temporarily denied of the luxury of anelectricity-driven lifestyle.

Or how many electrons does it discharge at each soulful glancethat new ideas spurt out so spontaneously despite being twodays short of completing its rotation.

What I see around here are silhouette patterns swaying to therhythm and wooing of nocturnal creatures.

All is well in the world.

64

CAUTION:

Not for public consumption

Unauthorized perusal might render theoffender schizophrenic, impotent, frigid,or doomed to live a lifetime of baneand insanity.

5

More than just a cleansing ritualMore than just a cleansing ritualMore than just a cleansing ritualMore than just a cleansing ritualMore than just a cleansing ritual

Bathing naked in the creekis an awakeningof being awareof your selfamong other beingslesser or greater than yours.

And you feel absolutely beautiful.

6

kkkkkaBUWaBUWaBUWaBUWaBUWANanANanANanANanANan

Malayong maabot ng sinag ng buwanAng kaluluwang salat sa yaposAt ang kahibangan na bumabalotSa bawat himaymay ng laman

Hindi maaaring ipikit na lang ang mga mata sa gabingTumatagos ang hapdi ng lamig sa makapal na kumotAt habang nakalapat ang katawan sa tahimik na kamaNa siyang hehele sa tuluyang pagkalimotSa pagtulog ang kaluluwa’y hirap pa ring humimlay

Tuwing sasapit ang kabilugan ng buwanAatake na naman ang siklab ng kaisipanPumapayag na akong magpatali sa kalungkutanAt hayaang bisitahin paminsan-minsanNg simbuyong makipagtalik na langSa mga paanyaya ng pagkakataon

63

HomecomingHomecomingHomecomingHomecomingHomecoming

It took me a long time to earn enough courage, graceand confidence to finally come Home. And just wheneverything is set, the unfolding of events turned to beagainst my favor. Nobody’s fault really, but it gave mesilly thoughts—

The heavens must have waited for so long at nagtampona Siya.

7

f u l l m o o nf u l l m o o nf u l l m o o nf u l l m o o nf u l l m o o nb l u e sb l u e sb l u e sb l u e sb l u e s

62

Judy’s GodJudy’s GodJudy’s GodJudy’s GodJudy’s God

Judy is HIV positive. She believes in God but shedoesn’t have one God in particular. She asked herGod for healing and she was given a second leaseon life. She asked her God to take away all herwoes and she was freed.

Her God is everywhere, in all religions of theworld.

8

NababagabagNababagabagNababagabagNababagabagNababagabag

Andaming kailangang sabihinAt ipaliwanagPero hahayaan ko na langAng mga nangyari naAt ang mga susunod pang kabanataSusubukan ko muling tumanggiGaya ng datiGaya ng dati

61

My PMy PMy PMy PMy Prayerrayerrayerrayerrayer

Our Father thou art in heavenHallowed be Thy nameThy kingdom comeThy will be done, Thy will be doneOn earth as it is in heaven

Give us this day our daily breadAnd f o r g i v e us our trespassesAnd forgive us our trespassesAsweforgivethosewhotrespassagainstusAnd lead us not into TEMPTATIONAND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATIONBut deliver us from evilAMEN

9

Elusive loveElusive loveElusive loveElusive loveElusive love

Take your timeWhile ebb tide is stillA sight to catchOn a twilight

As gentle waves bidThe horizon goodbyeWashing away the debrisTowards the shoreline

In this mammoth theaterWhere wandering soulsAre thespians of disguiseAll creations are beatified

Take your timeTo complete yet another cycleBut don’t linger too longFor waiting is a painless torture

60

The art of listeningThe art of listeningThe art of listeningThe art of listeningThe art of listening

My attention span is short I could barely concentrateon discussions, lectures, speeches, sermons, or evenprivate conversations with friends. My mind choosesits own ideas and feeds it into my consciousness that Ioftentimes miss the gist in another person’s story. Mymind talks a lot that it gets so exhausting.

Why can’t my mind rest and listen to other minds?

10 59

DapithaponDapithaponDapithaponDapithaponDapithapon

Mahigit isang linggo na kitang hinahatid sa iyong hantunganWalang kisapmata kang pinagmamasdan habangUnti-unting lumulubog ang iyong mga paa sa tubig-alatHanggang sa ang kabuuan ay pumalaot na sa kawalanAng kulay mo’y nag-iiwan ng saysay sa mga katabing ulap

Nakakabusog din ng diwa at isipan ang mga pagkakataongNakakapagkwentuhan ang ating mga kaluluwaKahit pa man sa tinginan lang tayo magpang-abotNakasanayan ko na ang mag-abang sa bawat haponSa aking paglisan baka hindi na kita mawalay sa isipan

Bukas makalawa panibagong paligid na namanHanggang sa susunod na pagkakataon na lamangSasariwain ko na lang ang mga ala-ala ng ating tagpuan

Display of affectionDisplay of affectionDisplay of affectionDisplay of affectionDisplay of affection

Why do I find it awkward to publiclyexpress my love to my mother?

Perhaps because the expression could beoverwhelming that to cry is inevitable.

11

Briskwalking at DuskBriskwalking at DuskBriskwalking at DuskBriskwalking at DuskBriskwalking at Dusk(For Laarns)

You never miss to dream of this manWhom your stars refer to as your destinyEach time your eyes close to squeeze outThe lachrymal fluid for another outburstYou master the habit of embracing painYet your heart never ceases to thumpFor that constant villain in your nightmares

Like the ritual that we execute in the late afternoonYour wake up call ushers to spin the cycleOf looking back and searching for possibilitiesThat the memories in your slumber may somehowBe routed towards your favored pathAnd that the lonely matrimonial bed will againHost two bodies warmly fused by undeniable resistance

Your finger unveils the sole subject of our tête-à-têteHis name bounces in synchrony with the cadence of our feetYou heave a sigh when swiftlets steal your conferred destinyAnd carry his memories to an unknown directionAt least to relish a brief moment of forgettingWhile I set our glances to the moving shadows around usIf only to ignore the void looming between our distance

Let’s walk another lap until I ran out of reasonsAnd prescription to your spontaneous renditionWe pause only when limbs start to crampAnd air becomes too condensed to inhaleWe take syncopated steps to catch the sunsetAnd moonrise from two opposite directionsLeaving our respective lanes in the arena

58

TTTTTop secretsop secretsop secretsop secretsop secrets

To my friends my tales of love and passion are anopen secret.

To my family I am a hopeless spinster who isincapable of loving and being loved by theopposite sex.

How come I have never told them of myweeping from a heartache one after the other, ofmy short-lived affairs, of my romantic fantasiesand giggles?

For one, they hardly see me cry.

12

YYYYYour Nude Pour Nude Pour Nude Pour Nude Pour Nude Paintingsaintingsaintingsaintingsaintings(For John)

You weave words to revealA lonely night’s fantasyWhile I engross in dreamsIn the midst of a nightmareWe exchange sighs and sobsWhen our souls intertwineUnveiling the inner rootsOf our famished beings

The verses that were etchedIn your public journalCloyingly ushers meTo revisit the placeThat was once familiarAnd close to my senses

Your mythical storiesWill drag me back and forthTo the world of wordsWhile I lie in comaWeaning through days and nights

From the lyrics in your handsThe urge comes back to life again

57

I’ve come of age!I’ve come of age!I’ve come of age!I’ve come of age!I’ve come of age!

Five older siblings grew up together as adults whileI was relishing childhood. I felt left out and alone,until I’ve reached maturity and earned a place inthe family. From then on we started to talk aboutlife spontaneously.

13

PPPPPassionassionassionassionassion

You are the raindrops of summerThat kissed on parched lipsEach drizzling touch seepsDeep down to my fingertips

You and your eyes shineBright on a moonless skyAmid a million scatteredSparkles on a lonely night

In a fleeting momentThe earth has ceased to breatheShadows move around usYet their spirits we hardly feel

For our bare eyes can only seeThe semblance of cells in our fleshFor our ears can only listen toThe symphony of our heartbeats

Our tongues speak the same thoughtsAs we dance to the waves of passionOur bodies lock in tight embraceAs we kindle the flames to fusion

Shall we forget or shall we rememberA promise we made with each otherThat once is, and will be, enoughOnly the memories stay forever

56

The passion for cookingThe passion for cookingThe passion for cookingThe passion for cookingThe passion for cooking

You never say enough when you know you can domore. A perfect concoction doesn’t start or end inrecipes. You never stop trying until you perfect it.And you never stop yet until you perfect it evenmore.

14

BBBBBriskwalking at dawnriskwalking at dawnriskwalking at dawnriskwalking at dawnriskwalking at dawn

Come, join meIn my daily ritualTo brace the sunriseWhile my mind meandersAlong with imagesOf mangrovesAnd crustaceansOn the seacoastOf childhoodMemories trappedInside my father’s net

Join me still in spiritAs I watch hornbillsPerch on buttressed treesTo defy sleepAnd spare myselfThe displeasureThat whatever I doYou are a like a leechThat permeates deepInto my fleshInto my thoughts

How long can you stayIn my shadowAs I walk fartherAway from yourMemories?

55

AgeLESAgeLESAgeLESAgeLESAgeLESSSSSS

At a certain point in my life I wanted to stay young, at leastin age, so I set my age at 24, neither too young nor too old.At each turn of the year I stopped celebrating my birthdaywith food and fanfare. And when somebody asks of my age Icould not tell right away; I had to pause and count the years.

I must have grown really old!

15

HHWW sa tabing kHHWW sa tabing kHHWW sa tabing kHHWW sa tabing kHHWW sa tabing kalsadaalsadaalsadaalsadaalsada

Pangkaraniwang anyo lang namanPero may kakaibang gandaHindi mo na ininda ang putakteNa nakabantay sa kanya

Kahit saan ko ibaling ang paninginMay gumamelang nakaantabaySa bawat sulok ng kalsadaKaya lagi kitang naaalala

Kung bakit malimit tayong makalimotPati na ang paglagay ng tuldokSa salaysay na kapwa natin hinabiAt minsan binigyang buhay

54

The voyage withinThe voyage withinThe voyage withinThe voyage withinThe voyage within

Night sailing. At dusk we turned our backs on the last fewstreaks of sunrays as a casual gesture to bid goodbye to citylife, at least for a fortnight and one. On Puerto Princesa bayM/B Minerva pivoted towards the east southeast direction.This outrigger boat will take us out to sea and be ourtemporary shelter afloat.

Except for the resonating engine, the blinking lights, and thepilot who was steering the wheel, all souls aboard were lulledby billowing waves into a deep slumber. At the break of dawnthe view of sunrise from the roofdeck ushered in a promisingday ahead.

For several times the sea had been my home. Amid thevastness and chaos on earth I have found peace.

16

KlikKlikKlikKlikKlik

Akala ko ikaw naHindi pa palaAng litratistangPipitik ng cameraPara mabuoAng album ng buhay ko

Dahil may ibangNakasalang paAt mas nauna sa pilaAko’y magpaparaya

Aabangan ko na langAng pag-ikot ng lenteHanggang maipokus na itoSa bandang sulok koAt sa sandaling ako naAng modelo sa buhay mo

53

What simple people want. Offshore villagers knowexactly what they want— to have something to eat whenhunger pangs strike and make the most of what’s in theirmidst. They hardly complain about life and its intricaciesthat the ‘highly civilized’ fret about.

17

Draft emailDraft emailDraft emailDraft emailDraft email

Have you not bade me enoughGoodbye that you stalkedAll the way to Papua?

You infiltrated the privacyOf my suitcase andBroke the security lock

You left an indelible inkIn my contacts listAlbeit underneath

This draft will never reach your mailboxAfter some time my index fingerPressed hard the backspace key

52

Spinner dolphins parading. For the sleepy town of Calusathe sight of spinner dolphins putting on a show some 50meters from the shore is an ordinary daily treat. To uslocked up in the dungeon of urban civilization it was arare, marvelous treat!

18

Gray skGray skGray skGray skGray skyyyyy

Specks of light flicker in the moonless skyWhistling winds kiss the waves goodnightAs stillness looms in the gray backgroundWhere horizon is a never-ending searchIn this ocean theater

This sailing leads me away from homeBut I have your memories with meSince our take off at sundownUntil we anchored at the break of dawnI can hear our whispers from the roof deckJoining the cries of a dolphin familyStaging an acrobat before a dozen pairs of eyesIncluding yours and mineThree fortnights soon

Aboard a rickety outrigger boatI sway to the rhythm of the wavesAnd live the days and nights sans rememberingOur exchanging glances and illicit tête-à-têtesMy sight here offers so much to beholdFrom shades of blue to streaks of gold

On this sleepy enchanted islandYoung inquisitive eyes and the tarrying oldEmbracing life at their chosen holdNobody competes with anybodyLike the swarming fish and blooming seagrasses I seeThere is so much space for each one to growWe share with their visions but not their realityFor we can never be

51

P NP NP NP NP N G sG sG sG sG s ttttt a pa pa pa pa p

19

Sina BulaySina BulaySina BulaySina BulaySina Bulay-----og, Erog, Erog, Erog, Erog, Erotic, Potic, Potic, Potic, Potic, Prrrrrofessional, Clumsy at iba paofessional, Clumsy at iba paofessional, Clumsy at iba paofessional, Clumsy at iba paofessional, Clumsy at iba pa

Wala silang pinagkaiba sa tequilaVodka, wine, whisky, rum, gin at cervezaBumibilis ang ikot ng tagay kung lumalim paAng gabi, sa bawat lagok napapasubo na

Napapaikot ang mundo, diwa lumalakbay paibayoNakakasuka, nakakahilo na parang tsubiboPanandalian lang naman ang kasiyahang itoSaglit din silang dumaan at dumayo na parang bagyo

50

Buai breakBuai breakBuai breakBuai breakBuai break

Twelve minutes close to break timePK stap insait long maus pastaimNokin tok, ol bai kamapim gutpela tingting bihain

Taim long malolo bai kam long ten kilok na triCalloused feet rush towards the doorwayOne hand with buai, the other with a cup of tea

Time’s up, fifteen minutes is overOl manmeri i kamap gutpela nawBuai pawa stap long maus bilong em

20

p o ep o ep o ep o ep o e t rt rt rt rt r y o f d e s p a i ry o f d e s p a i ry o f d e s p a i ry o f d e s p a i ry o f d e s p a i r

49

SingsingSingsingSingsingSingsingSingsing

Gather round, olgeta pikinini na lapun man na meriCome in your headdress of plumage of the cassowaryLayers of beaded garland adorn your half-naked bodyFrom head to toe, your colors on midday shine aplenty

Grass skirts and dance steps handed down from generationsYu harim how kundu dram na garamut create a commotionTaking reign on ground, stomping feet in brisk motionFrom shrilling singaut and chants come alive a tradition

Everybody joins everybody in a ritual of merrymakingPikinini in tantrums, lapun men soon get tired of waitingMeri with her suckling child, narapela meri displayingNew life inside her womb, in years time will be performing

Out in the sun blemished skin covered with paint and maskMelanesian time drags hours longer that you lose trackFor an empty bel igat planti buai na bia to stir a spakRevelry only comes to a full stop when somebody runs amok

Long narapela ples, narapela island for those who can affordEach offers a distinct cultural showcase for guests to beholdI’m saving my few kina to take me to places unexploredFor my next singsing treat I would love to see a penis gourd

21

WWWWWord playord playord playord playord play

We share the same sign. Sometimes ourlunatic tendencies go beyond distanceand boundaries.

The orgasmic pleasure in our exchangeof flirtatious words.

48

MetamorphosisMetamorphosisMetamorphosisMetamorphosisMetamorphosis(For Marie)

You and your innocenceShrouded by verveAnd restlessnessAs you dash throughThe inner lanes of Madang

You frisk aroundLike the flying foxesThat screech at daylightOr the green ball bouncingFrom one court to the otherIn your playground

Forget, for once, the mythsAnd fairy tales you have spunThey are cobwebs to realityTake time instead to glimpseAt the waxing moonAs you chase fateTowards your direction

You have become likeThe full grown butterflyIn your fancy costumeYou can love and be lovedWithout restrictionsJust as you take time for a catnapSeize the moment

22

WWWWWorst lessonorst lessonorst lessonorst lessonorst lesson

I never wanted to include you in mylist yet, at least until we bid our finalgoodbyes.

Hoping against hope?

In my funny dreams I was alreadyhaving a nightmare. So how can i wishyou to be my destiny?

47

YYYYYu lesu lesu lesu lesu les(For Ritah)

You asked me how you didAnd I said good but,Enough that I saw your strengthAnd paralyzed my other sensesLest I say what I have to sayAnd see your face frownFor my rudenessThe people in our midstWho speak in their vernacularAre frank and brutal and trueYou know the lessons betterThan anybody elseOnly you speak their tonguesToo literal like the way I do

23

Fleeting pleasureFleeting pleasureFleeting pleasureFleeting pleasureFleeting pleasure

Winding up the end of an era. Youfilled the gap. And you said, it waspleasurable, it was fun. What can Isay?

I can never be yours.Good riddance.You are a responsible human.

46

WWWWWorkshop haikorkshop haikorkshop haikorkshop haikorkshop haikuuuuu(5-7-5)

Listening skillsverses and doodlesred ink blots on the notepadthoughts soar miles away

Infected, infectiousall breathe the same airheat progressing into sweatoffensive smell kills

Melanesian time, Filipino time10, 20 minuteswaiting for others to comestart late, finish late

24

2929292929ththththth F F F F Februarebruarebruarebruarebruaryyyyy, a leap year, a leap year, a leap year, a leap year, a leap year

The first gorgeous foreign chromosome. Toogood to be true. Only a few sparkles in the air.Perhaps I only wanted to savor the fleetingchances so I pretended to be in harmony withyour whims.

Not a sad goodbye, only stupid.

45

A sonnet for CithalA sonnet for CithalA sonnet for CithalA sonnet for CithalA sonnet for Cithal

And wasn’t she an enigma to you?Pallor and beauty stood out in the queueAmid the bustling crowd in her dungeonShe idly smiled to conceal all her woes

Fatal passion chased her shadows from homePassing moments of bliss turned into doomOn nearby isle a lifeless form by dawnYonder unheard cries of abandoned hope

Monsoon waves lulled her to eternal restAlas! Her last breath of the twilight breezeShe and her beloved, exiled and freeHer ashes, her family’s misery

A sonnet for an ill-fated beautyVerses of life’s undeserved destiny

25

He who loves most and hates mostHe who loves most and hates mostHe who loves most and hates mostHe who loves most and hates mostHe who loves most and hates most

You were not in my wildest dreams. But youignited such passion. You hailed me like agoddess, while you to me are a slave. Sorryfor the heartaches. Goodbye, I know howmuch you despised me.

Friends?

44

earth dwellers

26

BrBrBrBrBrokokokokoken pren pren pren pren promiseomiseomiseomiseomise

Only the two of us knew about it.Let’s keep it that way.

43

Keeper of the RKeeper of the RKeeper of the RKeeper of the RKeeper of the Rangeangeangeangeange(For Panglima Taktarik)

Traversing rivers and hedges in the seven jagged mountainsHeavens’ weeping will wash away only the surfaceFor your calloused feet heavily stomped on the earth’s crustHave sculpted the fate of your people

You speak of a passion for lifeThat most lowland dwellers in leather shoesWill never dare to comprehend

Have you ever wondered why civilized beingsEat three meals a day yet they hardly get fully satiated?The crops you’ve sown are only appetizers for the soulFor the main course comes from the wisdom of your deities

You have survived many other counterpartsStruggling in the bustling city you’ve never been toYears of rule are chronicled in your wrinkled face

Your footprints have laid a familiar trace on the tracksLeaving an indelible mark for next generation scoutsFor you have been bestowed with perpetual honorAs the sole chieftain of the seven jagged mountains

27

.5 - almost but not quite.5 - almost but not quite.5 - almost but not quite.5 - almost but not quite.5 - almost but not quite

You will always be a remainder,never to be rounded off.

But thanks, you made me feel mostdesirable. For you flirted more thanyou should.

You are to me a reminder of thingsthat shouldn’t be.

42

SkSkSkSkSkeleton treeseleton treeseleton treeseleton treeseleton trees

Why can’t you succumb to the wind and let loose?For the skies have ceased to shed tears on youRoots have slackened its grip on arid groundYour tresses falling, branches have gone baldScalds, burns and worms feasting on your trunk

Your dying form chases the birds awayThat seek your bossom to nest uponLeaving them shattered and homeless

Sadness takes over as I stare at your helplessnessBut my heart sings praises of hopeFor the beauty in your frailtyAll you that are weak and failingChoose to linger to breathe airFor drifting soulsLike mine

28

FFFFFor the heck of itor the heck of itor the heck of itor the heck of itor the heck of it

I could never allow you to kiss me.We will only give it a try and I cando no more. We shared a goodfriendship.

And that is all.

41

LianaLianaLianaLianaLiana

Embrace your hostStrongly and boldlyLoop your tentaclesTo the sturdy trunkAt least for the last timeLest you forget how it feelsTo have a homeBefore it is hacked,Severed and takenTo its final destination

Sometimes your best partWould join the host’s funeralLiving dead in a darkened galleryYou breathe by your twisted hands

Back in the forest canopiesBacteria feast on your remnantsTo die and procreate anewThe natural way

29

Not in this lifetimeNot in this lifetimeNot in this lifetimeNot in this lifetimeNot in this lifetime

You came too late so we had to call itquits after a few brief encounters.

You said I was among your bestmemories. And you to my life?

Just a memory.

40

The Dying WildThe Dying WildThe Dying WildThe Dying WildThe Dying Wild(F(F(F(F(For Por Por Por Por Pangkangkangkangkangkoy)oy)oy)oy)oy)

Will you live long enough to hearMy version of your misery?Guardians have abandoned youAnd hope for another lease on lifeThey say you were confinedIn the asylum for too long

Setting you loose in the wildernessIs a daily ordeal to struggle againstSharp branches that bruised your fleshAnd tarnished the asymmetric bronze patchesIn your suntanned skinSpasms of pain are exposed in your bloated eyes

You and your dwindling kindAre an oft-sought capture in the viewfinderAs you unknowingly take reignOn the barren ramp of a foreign homeYou and your graceful movesDefine vanity

You deceive our eyes when you compare heightWith the trees that camouflage your figureYou maneuver your feature with much precisionLike the mechanical cranes on the foregroundOf Manila bay’s famous sunsetSpectators linger to tail your shadow

Will you outlive smaller earthmates wanderingIn the vast plains to forage for leftoversOf a prolonged droughtOr will you survive the elusive impalaBurying prominent antlers under the thicketsTo escape a poacher’s gunfire?

30

The person I love to forget and hate to rememberThe person I love to forget and hate to rememberThe person I love to forget and hate to rememberThe person I love to forget and hate to rememberThe person I love to forget and hate to remember

Ohhh… Forget it.

39

The Birds of TThe Birds of TThe Birds of TThe Birds of TThe Birds of Tubbatahaubbatahaubbatahaubbatahaubbataha

How can an identical soulHave mistaken youFor a backdrop in a horror film!

The silhouettes from afarIn choreographed flightIs a homecoming ritualTo welcome your kindAfter a long journeyFrom another continent

I wish to live more freelyAnd fly farther like youOr take refuge in your wingsAnd witness the unfurling of lifeFrom a higher perspective

31

WWWWWooing at 700 meters above sea levelooing at 700 meters above sea levelooing at 700 meters above sea levelooing at 700 meters above sea levelooing at 700 meters above sea level

After loving and painfully failing twice,would you still choose to love again?

By all means yes. Love is always worthtaking the risk.

You then held my hand tightly to yourheart until the first streak of sunriseilluminated our entwined beings.

I almost forgot about the sunset.

38

Sunset in PSunset in PSunset in PSunset in PSunset in Palawanalawanalawanalawanalawan

Someday I will buildMy empire on this islandTo catch the orange ballIn its graceful exitEvery afternoon

To soak my soulIn the clear blue watersFrom twilight untilThe break of dawn

To dream and delugeIn deepest passionNo one can ever imagine

Here I see dancing colorsFar greater than the rainbowThat will keep me aliveFor a lifetime

32

IntoxicatingIntoxicatingIntoxicatingIntoxicatingIntoxicating

You had me at first look. The strongestspark, the weakest bond. The longest affair,the shortest passion. Love and hate. See youwhen I see you. My friends’ worst enemy.The hardest to get rid of. A leech that haspenetrated into my soul. You mixed up mysequence. Should I put you underneath?

You jumped from one order to another.

37

sparsparsparsparsparkkkkk sssssin no particular order

33

The intricacies of drivingThe intricacies of drivingThe intricacies of drivingThe intricacies of drivingThe intricacies of driving

An escape. At least to flee from thememories of an immediate past. A fairgame, making the most out of eachother’s worth.

In ecology it’s called mutualism.

36

FFFFFirst weepirst weepirst weepirst weepirst weep

From the bright, red gumamela to bouquetsof imported flowers. You have been honoredto take all of my innocence. My laughter andtears. Sweet, loving, caring, pleasing,thoughtful and gay.

I have written so much about you that thememories have ran dry.

34

DefocusDefocusDefocusDefocusDefocus

Sparks flowed out at the first click of thecamera. We’ve shared endearing momentstogether that I later interpreted it as thework of destiny. The 32-page love journalwas not convincing enough. Sadly, weended up as friends.

If it’s not meant to be it’s not meant to be.

35